luckydevil Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2003-02-03-reebok_x.htm Take that, Nike! By Michael McCarthy USA TODAY NEW YORK — Reebok's "Terrible Terry Tate" is giving new meaning to the term "attack ad." In the most direct swipe between the major athletic companies since the "Sneaker Wars" of the 1980s, No. 2 Reebok's linebacker will wipe out a (very) thinly veiled parody of market leader Nike's popular "Streaker" ad character. Reebok's 'Terrible Terry Tate' takes down a streaker in a parody of a Nike commercial. The ad debuts Wednesday night. The Reebok ad will air for the first time during Wednesday's American Idol on Fox. "It's the downfall of the evil empire — and the rise of Terry Tate and Reebok," says Micky Pant, chief marketing officer of Reebok, which has $3 billion in annual sales. Paul Fireman, CEO of Reebok, came up with the idea of taking out the Nike streaker. Ad agency Arnell Group, New York, put the spot together in just a few days and shot it last weekend here at St. John's University. "They can run, but they can't hide. If they don't get this message, they're walking backwards," warns Rasta, the actor who made his debut as Tate in Reebok's recent Super Bowl ad. After years of flat growth, U.S. consumer spending on athletic footwear rose 3.3% to $15.9 billion in 2002, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. While sales are projected to rise 4.4% this year, heavy discounting in retail stores is making sneaker marketers fight for every dollar. Nike, the industry leader with 40% of the U.S. market and $10 billion in sales worldwide, has a hit of its own with the streaker spot, which first aired Jan. 19 during the NFL playoffs. In the ad, a pale British streaker, clad only in a pair of Nike Shox NZ shoes and a scarf, races across the field and through the stands during a London soccer game. His Shox keep him a step ahead of British bobbies and guards. "And he's off like a bull with gas," says the cheerful British commentator. Shoppers are asking for the "streaker shoe" at stores, says Beth Hedge of Nike Running. The company also has gotten calls and e-mails wanting to know if the streaker or game is real, she adds. In fact, ad agency Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., created the spot with 300 actors at a soccer stadium in London. The rest is digital effects. Reebok's spoof closely mirrors the Nike version. We see a streaker showing off and dodging bobbies. Until Terry Tate comes flying from off-screen and slams him to the turf. Tate then stands over the streaker to deliver his customary taunt. Since Tate's debut in a 60-second ad during the Super Bowl Jan. 26, Reebok says about 1.9 million consumers have visited its Web site and 1.6 million have downloaded the first of Tate's four Web films. It says visits to the online store have quadrupled. Parodying competitors' commercials is a time-honored and generally legal tactic on Madison Avenue. Revenge, not lawsuits, is the risk. Pant says he's not worried about Nike counterattacking with an anti-Tate ad. "God help them if they do — it would look like sour grapes. Everybody loves Terry Tate," he says. Reebok has gotten into trouble before with ads featuring the Nike brand. It had to pull a bungee-jumping spot in 1990 after complaints that children might try the dangerous stunt. This time, Reebok has made it a point to note that its Terry Tate ads are "not in anyway an endorsement of the use of force in the workplace." Contributing: Nicole Mucciolo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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